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What Is Content Strategy and Why Should You Care? (Series Intro)

This may seem obvious, but the two things which matter most in virtually any aspect of media (including the net) are content and connections. These principles, which are deeply intertwined, form the foundation of all types of value yielded by media – whether for broadcast TV, a national magazine, a web site, a weblog, or a simple exchange of e-mail messages.

If you or your organization has any sort of media presence (especially online), it’s useful to consider your overall content strategy: what you intend to say, and when and how to say it, in order to connect and interact constructively and efficiently with the people you need to help you achieve your goals.

Almost everyone overlooks or misunderstands content strategy – and it shows.

A sound, simple content strategy can keep on track and stop you from missing valuable opportunities or wasting time and resources – or worse, sabotaging your own goals through inept communication.

This is the introduction to a new series of articles examining the basic elements of content strategy, with special attention to online content…

Index to this series:

  1. Why communicate at all?
  2. What is content, and what can it do?
  3. What are your goals?
  4. Which effects should your content cause?
  5. Audience: Who can cause those effects?
  6. Know and honor your audience
  7. Becoming findable
  8. Showing your many sides
  9. Listening, interacting, and serendipity
  10. Appreciating the real value of content
  11. Crafting YOUR content strategy

This series will take a lot of thought and effort, so expect installments to come gradually. I may be adding or changing the focus of sections too, so consider the index above a work in progress. Still, it’s a subject that I need to tackle, since it’s currently the area of greatest need I perceive in my readers – and also, covering this topic advances my own content strategy.

I hope you enjoy it. I look forward to you comments and input.

COMING NEXT: Why communicate at all?…

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This entry was written by Amy Gahran and posted on May 25, 2005 at 9:17 am and filed under Content Style & Business. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Comments are closed, but you can leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

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8 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

  1. links for 2005-06-15
    Nurun | Ant Farm Interactive O dia que pensares em abrir uma produtra web…veja isso aqui (tags: Web) Cooperation, not competition - Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals) Evoluir quer dizer contribuir (tags: freela) Contentious ยป What Is Content Strategy…

    [Reply]

    1. Carreira Solo on June 14th, 2005 at 10:17 pm
  2. I am human, therefore I communicate–Communication series from Amy Gahran
    Amy tipped us all off that something cool was brewing over in Boulder last week–What Is Content Strategy and Why Should You Care?–and …

    [Reply]

    2. View from the Isle - Professional Blogging & Blog Consulting on May 30th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
  3. Which is really the bubble? (And is it bursting?)

    So are blogs just a passing fad, as Kevin Maney claims? His USA Today column stirred up a minor tempest in business blog circles, mainly for assertions such as:

    So, yeah, blogs are cool. Anything that gives people a voice benefits society and makes us

    [Reply]

    3. pingV on May 29th, 2005 at 12:17 am

  4. Thanks for this.
    I, too, look forward this series.

    [Reply]

    4. Melly on May 28th, 2005 at 9:47 am

  5. Great series Amy. I’m looking forward to it. I know that I’m as guilty of not having a strategy as anyone. So I need to develop a strategy, and I’ll point my clients to the series with relief, too. :-)

    [Reply]

    5. Angela Booth on May 27th, 2005 at 6:28 pm
  6. Content strategy for your (or your clients’) Web site(s)
    If you write for the Web, you’re aware of how little attention most people pay to the content on their sites. I’m as guilty of not paying attention as anyone. Birgitt and Paul did an a brilliant job revamping Digital-e,

    [Reply]

    6. Angela Booth\'s Writing Blog on May 27th, 2005 at 6:23 pm
  7. New series coming from Amy Gahran—your content strategy
    Whenever I see the words “Series Intro” on Amy’s blog I take notice.  As my blogging and writing mentor I thrive on her insights, and …

    [Reply]

    7. View from the Isle - Professional Blogging & Blog Consulting on May 26th, 2005 at 12:48 am

  8. As a web design professional, I feel that this area is typically sorely neglected in most of the conversations going on in this area. That’s a shame, because good design will only get you so far. I’m looking forward to what you have to say and to sharing it with my organization and customers.

    [Reply]

    8. Christian Watson on May 25th, 2005 at 7:02 pm